Broadband technologies jumpstart rural economies

SENATE APPROVES RURAL WIRELESS ACCESS ACT – The upper chamber on Thursday night signed off by unanimous consent on S. 1621 (115), the Rural Wireless Access Act, which would require the FCC to establish a consistent methodology for its internet coverage data collection. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) introduced the bipartisan bill last summer, and Senate Commerce approved it last fall. A House companion, H.R. 1546 (115), has not advanced. “Unless we have accurate information about where the coverage gaps actually are, we cannot put a solution in place that improves the high-speed internet service of consumers in rural areas,” Wicker said in a statement.